The Detroit Red Wings will need help at center after trading Dylan Larkin, but if they are going to move up at the NHL draft, they should aim higher--or at least in a different direction--than Viggo Bjorck.
A year after being called out by Larkin for not making an aggressive move at the trade deadline, the Red Wings swapped their first-round pick--along with other assets--in 2026 for Justin Faulk. That deal couldn't propel the team back into postseason action, and now they don't have a first-rounder for the first time since 2011.
After a half-decade of wondering if it's time to spend futures on win-now assets, Red Wings supporters are now wondering if general manager Steve Yzerman should make a move to get back into the first round they wanted him to trade out of so badly in the first place. Let's examine what that could look like.
Dylan Larkin trade return will determine the likelihood of an NHL draft trade up
There is one particular road that could lead Yzerman to the top of the first round, and that, of course, is a Larkin trade that materializes before the NHL draft later this month. That could get the Red Wings back toward the top of the first round outright, or give the organization enough ammo to trade up for a player they love.
And let's be clear here: this isn't really a circumstance where Detroit should be looking to move up unless there is a player they envision as a near can't-miss key part of their future. Swapping Larkin for lotto tickets would be unacceptable. The sooner that player can be ready, the better, as the Red Wings try to trade as little water as possible in the wake of whatever ends up happening after Larkin is rotated out of town.
It would also require certain rival teams to step up with future-laden deals, while other squads (think the Minnesota Wild, who could table the likes of Danila Yurov or Joel Eriksson Ek) back off as the bidding war rages on. There is also a chance that Larkin and the Red Wings could be stuck with each other longer than they want to be.
That leaves the possibility of an organization like the Florida Panthers stepping up with a deal that would likely include the ninth-overall selection. If the Red Wings are aiming for ninth overall, then they may as well aim a bit higher, as there are true difference makers floating around just a few picks higher.
Viggo Bjorck would be redundant in Detroit's system, but Ivar Stenberg would actually address a need
We're fantasy-booking the NHL Draft at this point, but if the Red Wings decide to trade Larkin for futures, they should try to do better than Bjorck. By all accounts, he is a perfectly acceptable top-10 pick and could even evolve into an excellent, competitive two-way pivot at the NHL level.
The Red Wings already have young, excellent, competitive two-way pivots at home, though, and don't really need to look to add another guy who has those selling points. Eventually, the Red Wings will have to make a valid effort at putting a team on the ice that can score goals.
And hey, wouldn't you know it? That's exactly what Ivar Stenberg does. Not only that, but he's got a high motor too. Odds are very good that he'll be gone within the first four or five picks, but sometimes projections fall short, and the professionals running these drafts decide they like certain players more than others. It just takes one bad interview to knock a guy down to maybe pick No. 6 when he was projected to go at two or three.
It's unlikely to materialize, but Stenberg is the kind of player Detroit should be swinging on if they are getting picks back for Larkin and if they are trading up in the first round. Deals like that are rare, to be certain. Yet this is the mindset Yzerman needs to maintain if he wants to turn things around in the post-Larkin era as quickly as possible.
If they can trade up for Bjorck, pay the extra cost to get Stenberg. Or stay out of the first round and get a few young, core pieces back for Larkin.
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